A Journey through the Meaningful Essence of Depression
The Chrysalis is not just a course; it’s an experience. A circle. A community. A place where depression is not something to rush to fix but something to understand, honour and move through with depth and intention. Through somatics, emotional energy work, and soul alchemy, we’ll explore depression as an archetypal experience that carries a profound creative force of transformation.
Starting April 13, 2026
The Descent and the Return: A Compassionate Way to Approach Depression
Depression is often framed as something to be eradicated, but what if it is also an initiation? A threshold into deeper knowing?
The Chrysalis honors depression as a passage, an unfolding journey where meaning is found not in making depression wrong, but in meeting the depths of our body, our emotions and our unconscious with curiosity and care.
Through the lens of somatics, emotional energy, and soul work, we will explore depression as a force of dissolution and creation.
This is the space between what was and what is becoming—the hollow and the whole, the descent and the return. Using a trauma-informed approach, we will slow down, listen, and work with the nervous system, with emotions and the whispers of the soul.
"Effie's course has been life changing for me. I decided to join because of her philosophy, her story and because I felt that she'd 'get' me. She broke down complex information so it was understandable, gave me tools to support myself with my cPTSD, anxiety and depression, and she offered persistent and reliable guidance. There has been such a transformation for me and I'm in a totally difference place compared to where I was before."
Corina Ebnother
“After a long spell of psychodynamic therapy I still felt there was something missing. I felt like I didn’t really have any tools to support myself. I was aware of my behaviours, patterns and bad habits - but I couldn’t stop them. The first time I spoke to Effie I knew I could trust her straight away and this was important because sometimes I feel like no-one understands me. Effie showed me during our sessions how to re-connect with my body, to feel my feelings, and how to listen to them. She challenged me to see the past and myself without shame, and soon it became clear to me that there wasn’t anything wrong with me’. Effie helped me get to the core of my problem, gave me tools to transcend it, and techniques to help me feel and release emotions I used to shut down out of fear. She truly helped me feel ‘whole’ again. To anyone thinking of working with Effie, I’d say do yourself a favour and do it. She’s been incredibly helpful to me and I will always be grateful the universe sent her my way.”
Dave Cooke
“I am so impressed at how Effie treated my case. None of the therapists I sought out in the last 2.5 years was able to understand me and my situation so fully.”
Past Chrysalis Participant
What The Chrysalis Offers:
In a world that often urges us to quickly "fix" depression and see it as something wrong with us, The Chrysalis invites a different path—one of deep listening, slowing down, connection, and embracing the wisdom depression carries.
This is why The Chrysalis will consist of:
- Three online mini-retreats (four hours each), where we will engage in somatic, energetic, and soul-based exploration of depression.
- Each mini-retreat will be followed by a two-hour integration call the following week to integrate what surfaced and explore lessons and insights
- And by a two-hour Q&A the week after to deepen our insights and address any remaining questions.
- Finally, there will be one week break before a new cycle of the above begins.
3x Mini Retreats. 3x Integration Calls. 3x Q&A calls.
This rhythm—immersion, integration, deepening—will repeat in three cycles across the 12 week, allowing us to sink into the work in an intentional and experiential way.
Because change starts with knowledge, yet it also needs embodied insight, deep exploration, and connection.
This journey is not about bypassing or romanticising the experience but meeting it fully, with compassion and curiosity. Here, we create a space where depression is honored as part of a meaningful force rather than something to fight against and alone.
To support this exploration, The Chrysalis will offer:
Neuroscience & Epigenetics – Grounding our work in recent findings that show how somatics and emotional energy impact brain plasticity and gene expression.
Selected Education – Insights that deepen understanding without intellectual overload.
Slowness – A space to move at your body’s rhythm, without urgency, as depression is asking us to do.
Felt Experience – Somatic practices, sensing and movement taking us beyond just information.
A Holistic Approach – Merging body, mind, and soul without separation.
Radically Compassionate Support – A non-pathologizing approach that meets your body where it is.
Is The Chrysalis right for you?
To be eligible for The Chrysalis, it’s important that you have already engaged in some form of therapy, healing, and self-inquiry. This ensures that you come into this space with a foundational awareness of yourself, your emotional landscape, and your life experiences. Because this journey is not a starting point for healing, and it is immersive and experiential, having prior experience with inner work will allow you to engage with the process more fully, navigate the depths with self-trust and responsibility, and contribute to the collective experience in a meaningful way.
Plus, if you are someone who may experience:
- Symptoms of complex trauma such as feeling unworthy, having a hard time regulating emotions and difficulty trusting others.
- A constant sense of heaviness—like moving through life with an invisible weight on your body.
- Mental fog and fatigue that make every day tasks feel overwhelming.
- Struggles with motivation—you want to move forward, but something in you feels frozen.
- A tendency to withdraw from social interactions, even though part of you longs for connection.
- Difficulty accessing anger or healthy aggression, leading to passivity or frequent irritability.
- A deep, unresolved sense of shame, as if something is inherently wrong with you.
- Feeling invisible or unseen, as if your presence doesn’t really matter.
- A longing for vitality and aliveness, but not knowing how to access it.
But also you’re someone who:
- Seeks a deeper understanding of depression that could potentially lead to necessary changes in your life from the inside out
- Values a trauma-informed, body-based and soul-centered approach to trauma healing
- Wishes to explore your internal landscapes with compassion and curiosity
- Is ready to engage with depression in a way that honours its wisdom and complexity
The Chrysalis awaits.
Here’s what you can expect:
Live Group Calls
3 Mini Retreats
We will engage in a somatic, energetic, and soul-based exploration of depression (approximately 4 hours each)
3 Integration Calls
We will identify insights and lessons coming through the mini-retreat, and discuss how to integrate them into our lives (approximately 2 hours each)
3 Q&A Calls
We will answer your questions about what is coming through and what you are integrating (approximately 2 hours each)
Somatic Exercises
Learn practices to reconnect with your body and support the repair of your nervous system.
Community Space
A container to witness each other, and where you can ask me questions between the calls.
1 Year of Access
You’ll be able to return to the call replays anytime in the following year to gain new insights and revisit the practices.
Guided Group Journaling
Engage in group journaling practices to deepen the process and gather lessons on your process.
"I've gained and am gaining still more clarity on when I want to escape my feelings, myself, my body, because of emotional overwhelm. I've learned how to park certain feelings so I can learn to let them in and to feel them bit by bit, so I can stay present. It's still an ongoing process to learn this, but I already notice a difference. I feel less powerless and overwhelmed in general. Thank you dear Effie for all the shared wisdom in such an accurate way."
Monique Tax
“Understanding how trauma affects our life was a game changer. The insights that Effie gave me helped me understand why I act of feel the way I do and gave me proper tools to navigate my emotions and befriend them instead of being afraid of my feelings and activations. I found that the best part of it was Effie herself, the way she listens with no judgment, the way she guided me to make discoveries on my own without her giving me the answers directly, and the reason why I felt comfortable sharing. Very grateful for Effie and her program. Thank you so much!”
Maya Chaba
The Chrysalis Journey Will Cover:
A diverse range of themes, untangling layers of depression and potential for change.
Most materials and practices are based on Dr. Gabor Mate’s psychotherapeutic approach to developmental trauma, on the teachings of Somatic Experiencing and Polyvagal Theory. The soul work aspect is influenced by Carl Jung & analytical psychology, as well as my own teachings. It also reflects my over 1,800 hours of somatic, nervous system, trauma and coaching training and experience, combined with hours spent in client work.
Shame
Meeting the hidden weight of shame with compassion.
Fear
Sitting with the fear of what’s next and what it reveals.
Despair
Exploring the depths of hopelessness without rushing to escape it.
Grief
Honoring the sorrow that asks to be felt.
Anger
Reclaiming the fire of suppressed rage and vitality.
Compassion
Cultivating deep compassion toward the self and the body.
The Void
Exploring the loss of self and the space between identities.
The Narrative
Piecing together a coherent life story and necessary lessons.
The Myth
Understanding our life’s myth that drives our physiology and psychology.
The Meaning
Reflecting on depression’s deeper purpose without forcing resolution.
The Sacrifice
Recognizing what depression is asking us to let go of.
The Power
Renegoniating the body's power with its own power.
"Effie, this was definitely life changing for me. After participating in The Chrysalis, I can coax myself back into my heart and sweet body that has held up through all I’ve put it through. Thanks to your caring, joyful and patient mastery of leading a group, I am now on the way to making the full life I want in my later years."
Nancy Lewis
“Effie is a wonderful facilitator and loved listening to her! I also enjoyed listening to the other participants and the feeling that I wasn't alone, that others were on their journey alongside me. Effie sets clear boundaries and creates a safe, supportive space so I trust her. Effie presents in an authentic manner and this helps me build a rapport with her.
Ruth Conlock
"Effie is a great teacher and day by day I see small changes in me. Before I met her I thought everything was my fault and that I was not worthy of being loved or feel happy, but now I see that I can create a better future."
Caroline Enmark
“I just want to say a huge thank you - I thought it was a really supportive and wonderful course and held really well by you with compassion and wisdom. I was grateful to be a part of it! I really liked the depth of understanding you had, how you seemed to really 'get' trauma/anxiety/depression and what it is actually like navigating this - I felt you knew what you were talking about!”
Clare Drea
"The tools Effie presented has really helped with fear, despair, shame and so on. After the course, I am still doing the exercises daily. Effie has a presence that I trust and feel comfortable with. Awesome program! Very well paced out. Very well designed. A lot of time and attention to participants."
Past Chrysalis Participant
Your Questions Answered
Am I eligible to join The Chrysalis?
How many people will be in The Chrysalis?
What makes this course different from other courses?
What happens after I sign up?
Will this course cure my depression?
What if I can't attend live?
Can I join from anywhere in the world?
When does the course begin?
When will the group calls be and how long?
Do you offer refunds for this course?
About me
What’s led me to what I do today is a story that started when I was 10 and experienced trauma that involved family loss and mental dis-ease. Back then the stigma of mental health was even worse than it is today and, as a result, I spent my childhood feeling a lot of shame. This painful experience motivated me as an adult woman to go on a path to figure out how people can heal and live good lives after trauma.
It's come as no surprise that I've become a trauma educator and somatic coach supporting people privately and in groups. I am a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, have been trained in Dr. Gabor Maté's somatic-based psychotherapeutic approach, in the Polyvagal Theory, and as a Mental Health and High Performance Coach.
Through my studies and training, my work with hundreds of clients privately and in a group setting, and my personal transformation journey, I've seen again and again that with the right tools, guidance and community we can recover from trauma, feel better and live better.
I’m also a corporate trainer having run workshops on resilience, mental health and performance for organisations such as NatWest and The Centre for Entrepreneurs.
What nourishes me is the sun, the sea and meaningful conversations with friends. I hate small talk and I'm fascinated by people's life stories. In my free time, I love writing poetry and fiction, and travelling.
Disclaimer:
The Trauma Educator is not a medical professional, licensed therapist, or psychologist. We do not claim to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition. The education and coaching offered by The Trauma Educator are not a substitute for medical treatment. By engaging with our services, you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for your health and decisions. None of the course or its related material(s) should be construed as medical advice.
